Waterfalls of the Sun

I haven’t been a devotee of poetry for over forty-five years now. My mother’s death did me in as a reader and writer of this often-enigmatic genre, making it impossible for me to enjoy the short mysterious lines studded with similes and its exacting attention to language. Poetry became too painful; too much of a…

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A Chink In The Armor

Hope seemed out of the question. As we returned home from Long Island, where we had celebrated my grandson’s first birthday, we were mired in non-stop traffic when my cell phone rang. The call was from the dog sitter. While vying for a tennis ball thrown up high, Mac and Cody had collided mid-air, and…

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Moonlight And Madness

Recently, a literary agent of high repute advised me that, in her opinion, I should make further revisions to my novel. As some of you are aware, this particular book has been my sole obsession for nearly four years, during which time I lost my agent of long-standing. Now I am looking to find new…

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Trading Blizzards For Blossoms

It’s cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C., and many visitors will descend upon the city to see the famed annual unfolding of pink and white petals. I live in nearby Annapolis, and though it’s my first year here, I know that the prolific opening of these blooms means that all of us can rejoice. Springtime…

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Eastward Ho!

Last week, I received many responses to my last newsletter essay, the one about losing the ones we love. Many people agreed that we all need to pay more attention to the way we try and help those we care about as they grieve.  This week, I find myself dealing with a strong sort of…

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How My Readers Waved A Magic Wand

The life of a writer can be lonely and frustrating. If you are not extremely successful, you generally can’t pay your bills without someone else supporting you; and it can be difficult to get published from book to book, even if you are fairly well-known and loved by a devoted cadre of readers. Potential editors…

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Healthy Escapism

Read! Read! Read! How much and how often do you open a book? I must confess I am a read-a-holic, spending every lunch–and sometimes dinner, when my husband is watching the hockey game–with my Kindle propped up in front of my plate. Sadly, however, the majority of people in the U.S. read only rarely–even highly…

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Spark A Challenge

This past October, I received some news that I was reluctant to write about here. The novel I had been working on, and believed I’d finished, was judged by my literary agent to need more work before she took the book out to market. Why did I choose not to share this disappointment–one that was…

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Winning The Game With Grace

When was the last time you got a snail mail that wasn’t a bill, or brochure, or sales pitch for a better mortgage rate? How long ago was that last newsy letter from a friend, or personal condolence note rather than an electronic card? Or a hand-written thank you for a party you’ve spent time…

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Satisfaction and Bliss

This week I am rejoicing! I have finally completed the first start-to-finish draft of my novel. Daydreams In The Dark has a beginning, a middle and an end–the bones of plot, character and theme are in place, the skin of the story drawn tight. Only the meaty details need to be shaped and added. The pages are…

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